The Dead Divide Us

by Vincent S. Tobia

  “Go! Get to Robert!” Jan yelled and Rita quickly put the truck in gear. She sped away, heading downhill toward the driveway.

  “Where is he?” Jan said.

  “I can’t see him.” Rita cried out. Was she to lose a son on this day too? As they approached the pile of bodies that Frost and his men had created she spotted him.

  “There he is!” Rita exclaimed.

  Robert came running out from, and in front of, the massive group of infected people. All of them, chasing him now. Robert ran to the top of the driveway and motioned for Rita and Jan to join him.

  “Let’s pick him up!” Rita said.

  “Ok, you’ll have to go around the pile of dead people.” Jan said.

  “Bullshit I do.” Rita said, surprising Jan with her assertive tone. Rita reached up and pushed the truck’s button to enable the four wheel drive. Then she put the pedal to the metal and gunned it hard. Jan also reached up, but he was grabbing for the safety handle above the door.

  “What the shit are they doing?” Robert said. The crowd was almost near him again.

  Rita drove the Bronco straight over top the pile of dead people and right through some of the active crowd of the infected. Jan hit his head on the ceiling of the truck as it bobbed wildly up and down. People were smashed on the front end of the truck, some bounced off into the air.

  She slowed down as they approached Robert and he jumped onto the back bumper. There was no time to stop and let him into the truck. He braced one leg onto the tire carrier and slammed his hand on top of the truck roof.

  “Go! Go!” he yelled out.

  As the truck went down the long driveway, Robert looked back. Behind him, his father was dead. His parents’ home was overrun by sick people, from a disease that knew no limit. Many of them were still trying to follow them down the driveway.

  Where now? What’s next? How much more of this can we take?

  Colton.

  Whatever was left of Colton was their destination. Maybe, they’d get lucky and find a real stronghold, a safe house. The ultimate goal was to find Jan’s family, still alive and well. Maybe.

  “Holy shit.” Robert thought.

  After everything that has just happened, I still have hope.

  Hope is the only thing keeping us moving right now.

  Hope is the only thing giving us strength.

  Hope is the only thing keeping us alive!

  Chapter 8: Word Travels Fast in a Small Town

  Shortly after Principal Audrey Wyatt’s revelation that Denver was being strangled by the fatal disease, Mayor Tim Schacht tried to regain control of the Green Falls town meeting. He didn’t have much luck at that. People in the audience, members of the Green Falls community, had begun to leave. Everyone was in hysterics; death was approaching their tiny town, and fast. The crowd was convoluted with all of them trying to see who had the better idea of how to handle the oncoming threat. Mayor Schacht did what he could to remind everybody that he thought it still best that no one leave town.

  “Please don’t try to do anything rash or ill-advised. We are still simply too uninformed!” The Mayor yelled in into the cheap microphone. Only one person acknowledged him as the auditorium cleared out very quickly... It was Gus Frankly, who raised a middle-finger salute over his right shoulder.

  “I saw that Gus.” Mayor Schacht said quietly while shaking his head in resignation, and then turned off the podium microphone.

  Outside, the cold rain was still misting. Principal Wyatt was sobbing and she was making Paul feel very uneasy. Roy saw to it that she receive a ride home with Doctor Nicholson, the two of them lived on the same street.

  “Well, sure thing Roy. It’s a terrible thing, and in the grand scheme of things Denver is pretty damn close. What do you plan to do Roy my boy?” the Doctor asked, after helping Audrey into the passenger seat of his car. Paul, Glen and Warren waited next to Roy’s SUV.

  “I’m not totally sure.” Roy told the doctor. But Roy Benton did know what he was going to do. He was hoping Paul was going to feel the same way: the cabin was their only hope.

  “I better get Audrey home and I need to get back to the office. People will be coming out of the woodworks with cases of self fulfilled sickness. I sure do hope that this disease doesn‘t hit us as hard. I was thinking maybe the viral strain might weaken as it traveled, but it doesn’t seem like that’s happening. If anything, it’s probably getting stronger with each person it claims. ” the Doc said.

  “You didn’t get a chance to speak at the meeting, what do you know about the virus?” Roy asked.

  “Well, from a medical standpoint, it’s bad. If even half of the things being said are true Roy, I don’t know what we can do to prevent it. I’ve got a stockpile of antibiotics back at my office, but that won’t do anything for a virus.”

  “But how can you know that?” Roy asked.

  “My old college roommate practices out of Queens New York. We’ve been emailing each other on and off over the last half decade or so. He emailed me last night already, saying he was treating victims of bites and scratches. I thought he was trying to be funny at first, but then I starting hearing the news reports. The last email I received from him was very short. All it said was “Meds don’t work. Run to the hills if you can.” I’m not surprised because antibiotics only work on bacterial strains; viruses have to run their course. With the virility of this virus, it’s going to take a while for anyone to develop a vaccine; provided they don’t get infected first.”

  There was a cold silence and a brisk breeze swept between Roy and Doctor Nicholson. Light rain hit the side of Roy’s face and he had to squint.

  “Stay safe doctor.” Roy said, and turned away.

  “Still keep in contact Roy. Tell Kirsten and Alexis to be careful.”

  “I will.”

  Doctor Nicholson got into his tan mid-nineties sedan and drove off. The parking lot surrounding the high school, which was full of vehicles only ten minutes ago, was now barren. People had left in a hurry.

  Paul stood by Glen and Warren, watching Roy approach. Paul’s mind was racing ever since they left the auditorium. He had an aching pain in his abdomen; he desperately wanted to be home with Ruth and his two boys.

  “Gentlemen, a word, if you please?” Mayor Schacht said, walking up behind Paul. The Mayor was accompanied by Sheriff Baxter.

  ‘The puppet and the puppet master.’ Paul thought to himself.

  “What do you want Tim?” Roy asked, as he joined them.

  “Well, the sheriff and I know just how much you mean to the people here, Roy. Tell you the truth; I believe you are closer to them then me or the Sheriff. Do you know why that is?” the Mayor asked.

  “Cuz Roy don’t have no badge.” Warren blurted out proudly.

  “That’s right Warren. People see Roy as more of a friend, not someone in a position of strict authority. But also as an authoritative presence they feel comfortable with.” the Mayor said.

  “Yeah Roy is like one of us. He doesn’t exude an unfriendly power presence.” Paul added, making it obvious that he was speaking in reference to Sheriff Baxter.

  “Well sometimes we need to make the people know we are in control.” the Sheriff said, looking down at Paul. Paul began to feel more uneasy. The Sheriff smirked.

  “What exactly is your point here Mayor? We’d like to get home to our families.” Roy finally said.

  “I want deputize you Roy. I need your information, the information on your level that is, if we are going to make it through this.” the Mayor said. Roy was shocked, he couldn’t believe it. Glen and Warren were just as surprised by the Mayor’s offer. But Paul was not, he saw right through what Mayor Schacht and the Sheriff were trying to do. They were going to make it hard for Roy to leave Green Falls.

  Had Mayor Schacht and the Sheriff known about their mountain cabin?

  Paul was indeed thinking a lot about their backup plan. Running to the cabin, fully loaded with supplies, and keeping his family safe in isol
ation until this whole thing blew over.

  “What do you say Roy?” the Mayor asked.

  “I don’t know what to say. Um, I think I need to be with my family first and foremost.”

  The Mayor and the Sheriff looked at each other, almost expecting that response from Roy. And Mayor Schacht didn’t look pleased.

  “Are you really going to deny this? Turn down an opportunity to help your community?” the Mayor asked.

  “Listen, I’ll be in contact with you by noon. I need to get these men home to their families. Come guys, get in the car.” Roy said, looking very nervous.

  Mayor Schacht and the Sheriff were silent for a few seconds. Paul, Warren and Glen quickly made their way into Roy’s vehicle.

  “Well, alright. I better hear from you soon Roy.” the Mayor said, and with that Roy slammed his door shut and started the SUV.

  As Roy pulled out of the parking space, Mayor Schacht and Sheriff Baxter stood there watching like a dog watches his master eat steak.

  “Jesus.” Paul said without moving his lips. Roy turned his SUV left onto the main road leading back towards their homes. Paul felt relieved to be away from the Mayor and Sheriff Baxter.

  “Ok, what is their problem?” Glen asked.

  “They are losing control.” Paul responded.

  “I never liked that asshole Baxter. Thinking he’s all the shit cuz he wears a badge. Fuck him!” Warren exclaimed.

  Paul turned to Roy, who was doing his best to drive safely in the rain.

  “I think they want to keep you here, they don’t want you going anywhere.” Paul told Roy.

  “I know. They don’t want anyone leaving this town, and that could be trouble.” Roy said, now giving Paul a significant look. The cabin may be harder to get to then expected.

  “Why? You thinking of leaving Green Falls?” Glen asked from the backseat.

  “I thought we’d all hunker down with guns, ammo, and enough spam to last a lifetime. Beat this thing as a community. I’m actually looking forward to this!” Warren said.

  “Yeah our houses are all close to one another, we could fortify our street real good. Roy, you ain’t leaving are you?” Glen said, he sounded sad and sincere which made Roy feel awful. What could Roy tell Glen and Warren, really?

  “I’ll be here guys. Just relax.” Roy told them.

  For the next few minutes they sat in silence, all of them waiting to get home. Paul knew what Roy was thinking. And Roy knew what Paul was thinking.

  If they stay in Green Falls, they will die. Their families will die. Everything would be lost. They need to get to the cabin, away from the worried people of Green Falls. Because when the disease hits, people become the problem.

  2

  Paul noticed a large crowd, consisting of his many neighbors, as they rounded the turn to their street. It had seemed everyone on their street block had made their way over to Roy’s house; most of them were just standing around talking to one another. But at second glance, all of them looked very worried. Stan Hadley was one of the neighbors waiting for Roy; and the first one to notice his SUV coming down the street.

  “Oh man, already?” Roy asked, inside of his car.

  “You didn’t expect this? These people are worried, and they are going to come to you for answers.” Paul said.

  “I know that. I just didn’t expect the whole town to know about Denver already. Man, look at how upset some of them look. Roy said.

  “I bet that Stan Hadley went and told as many folks as he could. Smart-nose librarian bastard never knew when to keep his mouth shut!” Warren added.

  “I imagine most heard from Audrey herself though, she wasn’t very quiet about it at the meeting.” Paul pointed out grimly.

  Roy applied the brakes in order to slow down before turning into his driveway. The crowd cleared, backing away slowly, making a small path for Roy to park.

  Paul jumped out of the vehicle first, just as Roy killed the engine. A few people that Paul didn’t even know that well were immediately in his face, asking him questions. He was bombarded so fast he couldn’t even tell who the voices were coming from:

  “Your close to Roy, ain’t ya? What’s going on, for real?”

  “No, this is the guy who has a brother in Pennsylvania.”

  “Oh yeah. That’s a long ways from here. You sure he saw this crazy disease shit?”

  “How bad is it really?”

  “My family and I never get sick. So I’m not worried. Should I be worried?”

  Many other questions were thrown toward Paul and he was lost in the confusion. The crowd of his neighbors seemed to be getting rather restless. Paul looked behind himself and saw Glen and Warren were at the back of Roy’s SUV trying to retrieve their rifles from the truck. Paul pushed his way over to them, dodging many people and even more questions.

  Paul made it back next to Glen and Warren, who had just laid their hands on their firearms. Paul was quickly starting to understand that this crowd was more than just confused and everyone there was looking for answers. They were fearful and angry. A bad combination for sure. Paul heard the sound of Roy’s car door finally closing shut from the other side of the vehicle. Roy himself was trying to field far more questions than Paul was even asked. He was practically being mobbed. Stan Hadley was literally chest to chest with Roy, screaming a million questions, seemingly at the speed of a mile a minute. In the mere fifteen seconds since Roy parked the vehicle, the situation had gone out of control.

  Control gone? So quickly, how could it be? More fragile than one could see.

  Paul had seen enough, he turned and asked Glen to fire his rifle into the air. Glen’s eyes lit up quicker and brighter than an old mattress soaked in kerosene.

  “My pleasure.” Glen said, simply. He then clicked off the safety, raised the rifle to the sky and fired.

  Paul had fired guns before, always in the company of Roy. After Roy convinced Paul to purchase a handgun, he had convinced him to also join his shooting club. It wasn’t often, but occasionally the two of them went out to the firing range at the club. So Paul was not a complete stranger to the sound of gunfire. But that was always with ear protection. When Glen’s rifle went off, it created a booming sound that seemed to crush Paul right where he stood. He literally almost jumped right out of his shoes. Everyone in the crowd jumped up and then instantly ducked down, even Warren. Glen stood there proudly; the crowd was now silent and looking only upon him.

  “You people pull your shit together and stop acting like a buncha lunatics!” Glen commanded. Roy, who had been scared shitless by the gun blast too, came running over to Glen’s side.

  “Glen is right. You all have to calm down. This isn’t the end of times. We are still here and we can still make a difference.” Roy said. The crowd around the four of them slowly started rising to their feet.

  “But Roy, it’s in Denver! Fucking Denver for Christ’s sake! What do we do?” Stan Hadley asked, frantic again as the crowd started showing signs of returning to the hysterical mess it was just a moment ago.

  Glen just slowly raised his rifle to the sky yet again, and everyone quickly became silent, some stopping in mid-sentence. No need for another insanely loud gun shot. This was now actually quite funny to Paul; and Glen loved the control he had over these people.

  “That’s right people. I can do this all day.” Glen stated. “Now I see what the sheriff meant about control.” he whispered to Paul.

  The crowd remained silent. Stan Hadley had a twisted, stifled face. He looked as if he had missed his morning bout with the bathroom; constipated from the neck down.

  “People, for the sake of this town, please remain calm at all times. The Mayor and Sheriff Baxter are doing all they can to keep us safe.” Roy started. But when he mentioned Sheriff Baxter, a few members of mob snickered in discomfort. Roy and Paul both took notice.

  “Your brilliant Sheriff doesn’t want anyone leaving town. Don’t you feel trapped Roy?” Stan Hadley now asked in earnest, pushing his wire fram
ed glasses up his nose.

  Again, everyone fell silent. If they hadn’t considered themselves trapped in Green Falls before, now they most certainly did. Roy then finally spoke.

  “I know the Sheriff can be pretty rash sometimes, hell almost all the time, but if we don’t stick together then we don’t stand a chance.” Roy said, and the crowd of people started to look a little more at ease.

  “You’ll help us out, right Roy? You always have been here for us?” Stan Hadley asked, putting a final nail into Roy’s heart.

  Roy loved his community. All of the work he put into making his neighbors feel comfortable, he took great joy in all of that. But times were different now, this was about survival.

  Roy was lying to these people. He was going to leave Green Falls the first chance he got; bringing along with him only Paul’s family. It pained Roy greatly to speak to his neighbors about unity and sticking together till the end. But he had to throw them off. They were dead to him.

  “Yes, of course. I’ll be here with you all.” Roy lied, surprising himself with his fake sincerity.

  His words had a huge impact on the crowd. They began to speak to each other with confidence, joining forces and houses in the neighborhood to make a stand against whatever harm may come their way.

  Paul knew Roy was lying to them all, but Glen and Warren had bought the story too; hook line and sinker.

  “Roy, we can make this whole block a fortress! Set up perimeters and guards on all shifts.” Warren stated, with great excitement.

  “I’m sure if we combine our supplies, ration food, we can hold up for a while against this shit!” Glen added.

  Roy looked at Paul, and Paul saw just how sick this was making him. Paul decided to take advantage of Glen and Warren’s plan of action.

  “Glen, why don’t you start organizing the supplies and food? How many houses do we have here at the end of our street?”

  “Nine houses here. I‘ll have Marge and the kids help me.” Glen responded.